Megan Rundel, PhD
Clinical Psychologist
Oakland CA
I am passionate about my work, and I am very skilled in helping people alleviate suffering, heal from trauma, find passion, understand themselves, and feel more alive and engaged. I am one of the most highly trained and experienced psychologists around. People describe me as nonjudgmental, smart and insightful, very present, patient, sometimes challenging, sometimes funny.
In my work, I am committed to creating an atmosphere in which every client feels open to say anything that is on his or her mind without fear of judgment. I try to make clear to every client that s/he is able to disagree with me, or point out mistakes I have made, without fear of retaliation.
I am a psychologist, psychoanalyst, and authorized Zen teacher in Oakland, California. I offer psychoanalysis, psychotherapy, and integrative healing work for people who want to gain self-knowledge, relief from suffering, help with change or loss, and integration of spirituality with personal growth. I am a Personal and Supervising Analyst at the Psychoanalytic Institute of Northern California, and offer analysis and supervision to candidates there. I’m also currently enrolled in the Center for Psychedelic Therapies and Research at CIIS. Additionally I teach, write, and aim for balance.
My psychotherapy practice opened in 2001, and since then I’ve been doing psychotherapy and psychoanalysis at my Oakland office. I have a Ph.D. in clinical psychology, and am a highly trained and experienced psychotherapist and psychoanalyst. I have taught widely in the Bay Area on topics including sexuality, the unconscious, dreams, death, and spirituality. I also have extensive training and experience in working with people in altered states of consciousness.
I have been practicing Zen Buddhism for twenty-five years. My primary teacher is Joan Sutherland, Roshi, and I have also studied with John Tarrant, Rachel Mansfield-Howlett, David Weinstein, and Bodhin Kjolhede. The Zen tradition I am part of plays with koans in meditation and in life. In 2014, Joan authorized me as a Sensei (teacher), and I founded the Crimson Gate Meditation Community, a Zen practice group for mental health professionals. There I offer retreats, classes, and a weekly sitting group.